"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs Depicting Killing Your Partner"
Murder-themed songs have always held a significant place in traditional country music. Although they may not be as common in modern times, there still exists a noteworthy collection of outstanding songs where men portray killing their female romantic partners. On the other hand, songs that depict women committing such acts are less frequent, but fret not: Country music also offers a substantial number of songs in which women are the ones taking action, and we have compiled a list to showcase them.
We eliminated certain contenders from this list based on a few specific criteria. Our main focus was to include only one song per artist, which resulted in Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, both country stars known for their murder-themed songs, only being represented once. Songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, but ultimately, they were overshadowed by even more popular songs and were not included in the final selection.
The theme was precise enough to further narrow down the selection. In order for a murder to be included in this list, it had to involve at least one male victim. Therefore, despite being a great contemporary murder song in the genre, Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine" didn't qualify. Other notable mentions include Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" and The SteelDrivers' "If It Hadn't Been for Love," but they also didn't make it onto this list.
The remaining content is an extraordinary and wicked compilation of the most impactful songs in country music that revolve around the idea of causing harm to someone. You can browse through the collection below to discover our choices for the top revenge songs and lesser-known tracks that focus on the topic of killing, particularly targeting the man in your life (or persuading someone else to do it on your behalf). Keep reading, and don't forget to share in the comments if we overlooked your favorite song about eliminating your man.
Earl's Demise: The Top 20 Country Songs Depicting Taking Revenge on Your Partner
Credit for Gallery: Carena Liptak
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